1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a wireless communicating apparatus which is connected to a printer and a control method of the wireless communicating apparatus.
2. Related Background Art
A printer is connected as a peripheral apparatus to a host apparatus, such as a computer or the like, through an interface such as a universal serial bus (USB), IEEE1284, or a recommended standard 232 (RS232C) and used to print characters and image data stored in the host apparatus onto a medium such as paper or the like. In recent years, the number of printer products which can execute what is called “direct printing”, in which a digital camera is directly connected to the printer and a photograph is printed, has been increasing.
In association with this trend in printer products, the necessity that the printer product has both of a port for connecting to the computer and a port for connecting to the digital camera is increasing.
In the connection between the printer and the digital camera, the industry standard from the Camera & Imaging Products Association (the PictBridge standard) based on the a universal serial bus (USB) standard has been most widespread.
Upon transmission and reception of print data between the printer and the computer, both of the foregoing parallel/serial ports, such as ports complying with the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers standard 1284 (IEEE1284) and ports complying with a recommended standard 232 (RS232C) are used in the wired communication. However, the number of apparatuses using the a universal serial bus (USB) standard is increasing at present.
In association with the spread of the standards such as wireless local area network (LAN), Bluetooth, Infrared Data Association (IrDA), and the like, an environment in which the transmission and reception of data are executed between the computer and a computer peripheral apparatus, between the computers, or between the peripheral apparatuses through the wireless communication according to each standard has rapidly been spread. A type of printer having the wireless communicating interface has also been put into practical use.
To perform wireless communication, it is naturally necessary that the apparatuses for communicating have wireless communicating apparatuses which conform with the same standard. When the apparatus does not have a wireless communicating apparatus therein, it is possible to cope with such a situation by externally attaching a wireless communicating apparatus to the apparatus (for example, refer to Japanese Patent Application Laid-open 2003-110452). In the situation that there are a number of wireless communication standards and the wireless communication standard changes flexibly, a large advantage is obtained by using the externally-attached wireless communicating apparatus.
However, in the case where the externally attached wireless communicating apparatus is connected to the printer through the universal serial bus (USB) port or the like and used, there is such a problem that since an external connecting port is occupied, in the case of using another universal serial bus (USB) apparatus such as a digital camera or the like, a communicating device has to be removed every time.
Although this problem can be solved by a method of providing additional ports for the printer, this solution leads to the problem of an increase in geometrical restrictions on the apparatus design. Although a port, such as a a universal serial bus (USB), can supply electric power to the connected device, if the apparatus is designed so as to supply electric power to all of the ports, there is naturally such a problem that it is necessary to take a countermeasure for enhancing a power source unit, or the like.
According to the universal serial bus standard (USB), although substantially the same effect as that obtained when the number of ports is increased by using a universal serial bus (USB) hub is derived, also in this case, it is necessary to supply more power due to the increase in number of ports. Thus, restrictions on the electrical design of the apparatus increase because of the necessity of the enhancement of the power source unit.
However, generally, since the number of printing operations which can be simultaneously executed by the printer is equal to 1, it is unnecessary for the printer to simultaneously communicate with two or more kinds of apparatuses. The invention intends to propose a solution to the above-noted problems by paying an attention to such a point.